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It's a mystery to me
We have a greed
With which we have agreed
You think you have to want
More than you need
Until you have it all you won't be free
Society, you're a crazy breed
I hope you're not lonely without me
When you want more than you have
You think you need
And when you think more than you want
Your thoughts begin to bleed
I think I need to find a bigger place
'cos when you have more than you think
You need more space
Society, you're a crazy breed
I hope you're not lonely without me
Society, crazy and deep
I hope you're not lonely without me
There's those thinking more or less less is more
But if less is more how you're keeping score?
Means for every point you make
Your level drops
Kinda like its starting from the top
You can't do that...
Society, you're a crazy breed
I hope you're not lonely without me
Society, crazy and deep
I hope you're not lonely without me
Society, have mercy on me
I hope you're not angry if I disagree
Society, crazy and deep
I hope you're not lonely without me
We have a greed
With which we have agreed
You think you have to want
More than you need
Until you have it all you won't be free
Society, you're a crazy breed
I hope you're not lonely without me
When you want more than you have
You think you need
And when you think more than you want
Your thoughts begin to bleed
I think I need to find a bigger place
'cos when you have more than you think
You need more space
Society, you're a crazy breed
I hope you're not lonely without me
Society, crazy and deep
I hope you're not lonely without me
There's those thinking more or less less is more
But if less is more how you're keeping score?
Means for every point you make
Your level drops
Kinda like its starting from the top
You can't do that...
Society, you're a crazy breed
I hope you're not lonely without me
Society, crazy and deep
I hope you're not lonely without me
Society, have mercy on me
I hope you're not angry if I disagree
Society, crazy and deep
I hope you're not lonely without me
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but if less is more how you're keeping score?
Means for every point you make
your level drops
kinda like its starting from the top
you can't do that..."
I believe this part is about how the society is designed to prevent people from going against it.
Since a person's worth is based on their material possesions and how many people willing to brown-nose them to get a part in their possesions, a person disagreeing with this societal concept will lose his status in the society. That is what he means with the lines "for every point you make your level drops". For every argument against the society a person presents, the society defends itself by denouncing that person as something bad and of low value, so the people within the society thinks badly of the person, and that prevents them from logically understanding and actually listen to the arguments. Instead they'll react in the opposite direction and go back to their 500 TV channels of nonsense entertainment and comfortably reinforce this massive lie that is their lives.
So in the essence, the more you argue against the society the less people will listen to you, and like the song says, you can't do that.
but if less is more how you're keeping score?
Means for every point you make
your level drops
kinda like its starting from the top
you can't do that...
I see a lot of people coming up with complicated explanations for this, and that's alright I guess, but for me it has a simple enough meaning. I figured Eddie was basically saying while you don't need more to be happy, you don't need to get rid of what you have to be happy either. A person that needs to give up this and that in his search for happiness is caught in the same never ending struggle for fulfillment as the guy that needs this and that. Just be happy with what you have at any given time.
but this is what i got.... hopefully it helps.
"there's those thinking more or less less is more
but if less is more how you keepin score?"
-score as in rank, greed is a game everyone wants to win and the winner has the most unnecessary shit.
rank of wealth and possessions
if you have no objects how are you keeping score as in
you aren't a part of society's social ladder or ranking
which is what he says at the end "I hope you're not lonely without me"
"it Means for every point you make
your level drops"
ITS THE OPPOSITE LADDER its like answering that question how are YOU keeping score? talking about how a person not a part of this materialistic ladder would rank themselves on their own ladder. a non materialistic person would rank themselves AGAINST the materialistic ladder by saying every new thing they own the less highly they think of themselves
their level drops on THEIR ladder.
the NON materialistic ladder.
the less you have the better/ higher you rank yourself
"kinda like you're starting from the top
and you can't do that..."
you can't start off being ranked highly for owning nothing
as in society will not allow/or acknowledge it. it doesn't make sense to them
and that is why he is not a part of it and he said have mercy on me because society has a tendency of casting those out that don't follow their rules and way of life.
i believe it is sarcastic the way it was written
to say bluntly you cant do that
because that is what society does
it tells people what they can and cannot do
or they will be cast out.
but i like how he said "WE have a greed to which WE have agreed" by saying we he is including himself
because everyone has some form of greed
there are different forms of greed.
but then for every point, level drops like starting from the top
less $ is more (inner growth)
if $+1 then inner growth -1,
then start/born with highest inner growth without paying the dues, can't do that.
But this part throws me off:
I think I need to find a bigger place
'cos when you have more than you think
you need more space
Don't seem his is talking about material space, not sure
I think I need to find a bigger place
'cos when you have more than you think
you need more space
says this to me:
People always think they need a bigger house/yard/office/garage
They think they are running out of space because they have so much crap
Perhaps they need to realize their "lack of space" is due to having too much stuff not from having too little space (aka they have more than they think)
When you want more than you have
you think you need
and when you think more than you want
your thoughts begin to bleed
on the one hand you have the material thing and one the other hand you have the inner thing (thinking about society, humans, life...). In both cases he describes discrepancies between what you have and what you want (material) or what is too much (thoughts).
Now the part
I think I need to find a bigger place
'cos when you have more than you think
you need more space
describes the discrepancy between the material and the inner thing he feels. The material thing is bigger than the inner thing and he needs space for his inner growth to balance the material side.
but if less is more how you're keeping score?
Means for every point you make
your level drops
kinda like its starting from the top"
MY TAKE, CORRECT ME IF I'M WRONG:
This part confused me too, and that's actually the reason that I searched for this song.
My analysis follows:
The author of this song is using an argument to refute the idea that 'less is more.' However, I disagree with the logic used in what the author is arguing. The problem and confusing part with the song-writer's train of thought is (I think) that he is mixing a materialistic person with a non-materialistic person.
A materialistic person would feel the need to accumulate money and cars and such and would use these items to keep score, as the song suggests. However, a non-materialistic person would not even feel the need to keep score; someone ascribing to the belief 'less is more' is denying a complex, material life and moving instead towards a simpler human existence. This person would not keep score because he or she would likely value things like love and friendship, which are not added up like monetarily-based items.
Based on this analysis, I think some people would just straight up disagree with what the song is arguing against at this part because: someone thinking less is more wouldn't be keeping score in the first place.
Please let me know if you disagree. Maybe I'm understanding it incorrectly.. but as of now I'm pushing against this part of the song. Eddie Vedder didn't write it, anyway